


Growing Up and Growing Old

by LysSerris



Series: One-Shot [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Real World, Angst, Bellamione Cult Ilvermorny Cup, Discord: Bellamione Cult, Domestic, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 13:08:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LysSerris/pseuds/LysSerris
Summary: She’d never held onto any illusions about being anything other than an unwanted child.Maybe that was why she loved Delphi so much, was always so eager to show her the attention and care that she’d felt lacking from her own formative years.





	Growing Up and Growing Old

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Inflinty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inflinty/gifts).

> Requested by the lovely Inflinty, hope you enjoy!

The black eyes, so very much like the ones she knew, were staring back at her with cold impassioned anger. No longer were they soft lumps of charcoal that she’d grown up with or the dark shifting sands where she’d honeymooned. No, now they were hard chips of onyx; glassy and reflective through a sheen of moisture that she didn’t understand how to respond to.

The dark curls, once again very much like the ones she knew, were cut short; the whole length lopped off at her chin. The remains had been pulled, straightened, and dyed white like her sister-in-law with exception to a long streak of brilliant blue that shimmered depending on the light.

She looked nothing, and yet everything, like the little girl she’d once been.

All throughout her life Hermione had never really been an overly emotional person. Her peers were, Lavender and Ginny or even Luna on occasion. They all threw off enough for all of them but she’d always seemed like the odd one out. Quiet, reserved. Her chin held high and energy kept hidden for more important things.

As she’d gotten older the distance she imposed on relationships, personal or otherwise, had improved. She may not have grown up understanding the intricacies behind friendships or close bonds, but she’d learned to mimic well enough until she could forge or maintain them on her own.

Mostly, and usually in her bygone therapy sessions, she blamed the stunted understanding on her upbringing. On distant parents whose idea of bonding was avoiding heart to hearts and instead bringing her gifts and presents, sweet moments condensed into physical affection when all she’d wanted, needed, was emotional. She’d just never clicked with her immediate family, not like Bellatrix had with hers, even if that did all blow up quite spectacularly. By the time she’d left from college she’d still had no idea why so many others spoke of their parents with fondness tinting their voice and mist in their eyes.

She’d never held onto any illusions about being anything other than an unwanted child. 

Two professionals, who’d married late due to school obligations, starting their own practice in a part of the country where that took not only money to do so but an inordinate amount of time. They’d worked from dusk until dawn, weekends and holidays. Their plans hadn’t included a wailing infant, it had included a receptionist and a lobby in the nice part of town and maybe an advert or two. She was an unexpected development. A drain on their time and resources when they hadn’t wanted it. Not that they’d been terrible parents about it, they’d loved her as well as they could have done in the situation. They could have sent her out for adoption, yet they didn’t. They could have ignored her completely, yet they at least made an attempt.

Maybe that was why she loved Delphi so much, was always so eager to show her the attention and care that she’d felt lacking from her own formative years. From the marriage to the adoption, Hermione had found herself savoring all the sweet little moments that she’d never been able to receive from her own family. Even though she was on the other side of the interaction it still sated some deep part of her that knew love was to be given, to be shared and nurtured, regardless of whether they were of the same flesh and blood. And she’d like to think she’d done a generally okay job at it.

Maybe that was why her daughter’s words hurt her so much.

Maybe that was why realizing she’d fallen into many of the same ruts was killing her inside.

Why the stinging salt trailing down her cheeks was biting and acidic. Why her lip trembled as she fought to maintain composure from the car and back inside. Why her throat, so used to oration and bouts of expressive emotion during her waking hours, was now so closed as to be pinned shut.

\---

It started innocently enough with a short phone call from Neville.

His words were clipped, the first thing that caught her attention, and he’d asked her to come down to the school as soon as possible. So she had.

Her work was packed away, conference calls moved to other days, and lunch picked up from the break-room refrigerator so that she wouldn’t forget about it. Then she was off, winding down the twisting streets of Cameron and off through the back hills that led to the main thoroughfare of town and eventually the High School itself. The building was a mottled green mixed in with the stark red-brown of near ancient brick, a conscious design choice by the school to mesh in with the colors of the local industry.

Hermione found it ugly, tired, and just a little bit too old. 

Bellatrix loved it, if only so that she could hate on it whenever she wanted.

Delphi just seemed to passively accept it, it being her only experience in an educational setting that wasn’t the combined Elementary and Middle School down the street.

Or she’d assumed Delphi accepted it. 

Her arrival out front had included passing by two squad cars from the police force and a van with a painters' logo on the side. It should have tipped her off. 

It hadn’t, but the extremely detailed and hauntingly graphic graffiti spray painted onto the front entrance certainly did.

\---

The car ride back was silent for the most part, from the two occupants at least. The potholes she was heedless of and the constant hum of windshield wipers certainly more than made up for furious tension lodged between the two of them.

Tension she broke as soon as she had the vehicle in park.

“You could have been arrested,” she unclipped her seatbelt and turned to face the sullen teenager.

An avoidant gaze and crossed arms were her only reply.

“You’re lucky that Neville managed to talk Albus down, if it wasn’t for him you’d be in jail right now.”

“...” The jumble of sharp edges that called itself Delphi mumbled something under her breath that Hermione couldn’t catch.

“Delphi are you even listening? You could have been charged! You’ve seen what your Mother went through, you know where that leads. Do you want that!?”

Her temper was slowly losing the race against her sanity, the sudden blankness of her daughter bashing against the heated worry splashing through her veins.

“Delphi Black, answer me!”

“No! Okay?” The teenager turned to pierce her with a black stare, “It was just a stupid prank! That’s all!”

“Well it’s a stupid prank to you but it’s vandalism to anyone else! I know you’re smarter than that, so  _ why _ would you even do it?”

“I don’t know, alright!” The dark eyes narrowed to a thin line, “And who says you even have a right to ask? All you do is work all day, you’ve never cared before, why should you now!?”

“Because I am your mother and I-”

“No you’re not!” 

That shut her up. Gave Delphi the space to unclick her own seatbelt, to push open the door with a groan of metal and bulk.

“You don’t know shit about me so don’t even pretend to call yourself that.”

_ SLAM! _

The door closed in Hermione’s face, her eyes wide and lips slightly parted, voice caught in her throat and words dead upon her lips.

_ ‘...’ _

\---

Bellatrix was in a shitty mood.

The text she’d received had been nothing more than  _ ‘Get home, now.’ _ It wasn’t even accompanied by the myriad of cute little graphics that her wife would usually send, her normal indication that the request was carnal rather than serious. Not that carnal needs weren’t serious to her (she loved her wife to death and back, thank you very much), but this seemed… Urgent. In a way that she’d not experienced since Hermione’s mother had passed.

So she dropped herself onto her bike, slammed the engine more than necessary, and peeled away from the parking lot with the devil nipping at her heels.

The long way back let her think, let her stew, let her dream up reasons for the text and the worry it set to run around her heart. When she arrived the bike nearly ended up rolling past the kickstand and helmet did end up missing the bars completely when she dropped it. Her feet practically flew as she bounded up the steps to work the key into the lock and push past the off-white wood that led into the entranceway. 

Their home wasn’t large, a two story, two bedroom Townhouse wedged between two others but out of the way enough that it wasn’t a bother, and the lead in was really only two steps before she was in the living room. The floor space didn’t bother with any walls, simply a staircase to her right leading towards the bedrooms and a large space before her covered in carpet and cheap, easy to obtain furniture. Beyond that was the kitchen, its lights off and tables empty.

Hermione was sitting on the couch and facing away from her, clad in the soft pajamas that Bellatrix knew she only wore when her emotions were getting the better of her. A half empty bottle of wine, some old vintage from ‘Ninety Four in a color that made her stomach burn, was sitting on the coffee table next to a large and ornate picture book that she’d thrown together with Delphi’s help one Mother’s day a few years ago. The pages were opened to the middle, a grouping of photos showing them all having a good time somewhere up north where winter never really ended. Delphi, little back then, was propped up on both their shoulders between them with her little arms raised in the air and a beautiful smile on her cherubic face.

“Hey,” Hermione’s voice was nasally and clogged, a sniff punctuating the end of her word.

Without a response Bellatrix dropped her leather jacket to the ground and kicked off her work boots, rounding the edge of the couch and sinking in down beside her wife. The leather surface squeaked as she shifted closer, her arms wrapping around the shivering form of Hermione while her hand began swiping away the mass of brown curls so she could press a warm lipped kiss to the inside of her neck.

“What happened?” Her voice was obstructed by the skin in her way, by the worry clouding her mind, but understandable nonetheless.

“Your daughter was nearly arrested, that’s what happened.”

Her eyes widened as she leaned back to take that in, “...What?”

\---

By the time the bottle was empty there was still no sign of life from upstairs. It had been one, maybe two, hours since Bellatrix had arrived back home to learn why her wife was so twisted up inside. From there it had devolved into warm and fuzzy moments filled with reassuring conversation and softly whispered affirmations, all while Hermione’s soft body pushed up against her front. Her legs were spread out lengthwise along the couch with Hermione seated between them, her body and arms curling as she rested her head against Bellatrix’s chest.

Bellatrix’s fingers weren’t idle, couldn’t be with all the thoughts running about her head, and with each breath she took she twisted and pulled at the auburn curls to make them bounce back like a soft spring. She knew what she needed to do, that it had to be done soon, and the fact that it was still quiet upstairs told her that now was the best time to do it. 

Moving as quietly as she could she extricated herself out from beneath her wife’s warm grip, nudging and lowering the sleeping woman back down to the couch before throwing the quilted afghan over her slumbering form. She pressed a soft kiss against her temple before looking up to the stairs and shoring her breath, mind set and nothing left to do but get at it.

The wooden stairwell creaked beneath her feet as she ascended while her eyes periodically drifted back to her wife slept until she was finally blocked off from view by the beginning of the next floor. The landing was small, only large enough for a small corner table and a vase of fake black roses, and turned to split towards the two bedrooms. Her own was on the right, large and facing the steep woodlands behind their home, while the left led towards her daughter’s room.

The door was white and black, painted over in scrawling letters and intricate symbols that Bellatrix hadn’t the foggiest about what they meant. It was cracked open slightly, only an inch or two at most, and pushed open on silent hinges when she pressed against it. 

The room was loud in all the ways that physically Delphi was not.

Black curtains, bright red walls, band posters and teenage crushes plastered everywhere until many overlapped each other. Where once a pile of stuffed animals had sat was now a collection of rugby gear, the only sport Delphi had ever taken to. Beside it was a large computer setup much like the duplicate in her own room, built from purposefully chosen parts that she’d helped Delphi assemble the winter before last. The rest of it was a mess and looked, well… Almost exactly like her own had, back when she was that age.

“Delphi,” her voice intruded upon the silent space, the silhouetted form of her daughter moving on the bed when it reached her.

“...” The body turned back into the mass of pillows on her bed, legs pulling up close to her chest and a loose arm wrapping around.

Bellatrix took the silence as tacit admittance before pushing the door open completely and stepping into the incense tinted room. Her footfalls were silent as she approached the bed, her weight only dipping the firm mattress slightly when she sat down next to her still unresponsive daughter.

“So. I got the gist of what happened from Hermione, but I’d like to hear your side.” Her voice was soft as she reached out a hand to pet down the blonde length of her daughter’s hair, Delphi shifting slightly in acknowledgement of her words. She waited, the seconds dragging on, comfortable with the silence and she waited for her to begin.

“...I didn’t mean-”

“Not there,” she interrupted with a gentle tone, “Earlier. What happened at the school. We’ll get to your Mother soon enough.”

Delphi sighed into her pillow, face buried in it for a second before she retreated from her haven and flipped around to lay straight on her back. Bellatrix removed her hand, leaning back against the headboard, her hand moving down to idly squeeze her daughter’s shoulder as she fought for words.

“... Rose had this idea, she was pissed at Dumbledore for knocking her off the Swim Team, and she wanted to get back at him. So…,” her voice went near silent, “She came up with an idea. To tag the front of the building and leave it at that. It’s bullshit that she was removed, they couldn’t even prove she was smoking, so I was like, fine I’ll help.”

“Understandable,” Bellatrix replied, “Albus is a bit of a shit-heel. But it didn’t go according to plan, I assume?”

“No… Hagrid caught us when he came in to run his rounds. That and the camera’s-”

“That you didn’t know were there because you skipped out on the assembly where they were announced. I get that part. You know what they could have done to you, right?”

“... Yes.”

“You know what happened to me when I did that stuff, right?” Her eyes looked down to find Delphi looking ashamedly back up at her, “You know how many times I was in and out of Juvie?”

“I didn’t think-”

“I know you didn’t, that’s why we’re having this conversation. I’d just like to ask that in the future you  _ do _ think. Preferably before you act, not in the middle and not after. Especially when it’s something like this. You’re on track for a scholarship, you’ve your whole future ahead of you. We just don’t want you to lose that.” Her voice shook with admiration, her honest emotion bleeding through with the pride she felt for her daughter’s achievements, so much better than her own. “And think before you speak to someone in anger, as well.”

“I should apologize, shouldn’t I…”

“I don’t really think you need me to answer that. But yes, you should. Tomorrow though. She’s out for the count right now.” She twisted her finger along the length of pale hair, bunching a strand into a curl shaped similar to how it had once looked. “Your Mother loves you very dearly, you know that.”

“I know… I was just trying to be nasty. I didn’t really mean it…” Delphi pulled herself up along the bed until she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Bellatrix, a perfect opportunity for her to wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. She set a kiss atop her head, the scent of chemicals and the flat iron mixed in with the lingering tinge of spray paint.

“I know you didn’t. But right now she doesn’t. So take tonight off, I’ll bring up some pizza or something. Think on what you said, and why you know it was wrong. Apologize in the morning. Okay?”

“Okay, Mom.” 

She gave her one last squeeze before hauling her old bones up off the bed and retiring downstairs for the night.

\---

When Hermione awoke the next morning she was still somewhat on the couch, Bellatrix mostly holding her onto it, and her head free and clear from the hangover she’d been dreading. It was quiet out, a Saturday morning if there ever was one, and warm light was only slightly filtering in through the cracks in their blinds and curtains. With a yawn and a stretch she rolled herself off the makeshift bed, landing on her knees before straightening and working the kinks out from her spine. Growing older had come as a surprise, bringing with it a myriad of new pains and lists of things for her to avoid, nothing fun or graceful like she’d expected when she was younger.

Still though, if Bellatrix could get through it just fine then so could she.

To her surprise the kitchen, usually unoccupied on weekends until they all rolled out of bed sometime in the late afternoon, was already filled. Delphi was sat at the island table with a mug of coffee in her hands. With tired eyes she realized it was Bellatrix’s, one of the odd ones she’d bought that read “Talk to me and you die” with a highly stylized skull and snake wrapped around it, the soft vapors of steam still rising from the top.

“Morning,” she began, wincing at how dry her voice sounded, “Didn’t expect to see you up this soon.” Delphi nodded in response, taking a slow sip and watching her as she reseated the afghan back onto Bellatrix’s shoulders. Her hair was a tangled mess of brown and auburn curls that caught at her fingers and floated in front of her vision as she moved on soft feet from the carpet to the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, her hip leaning against the side of the counter while she pulled off a glass and began to fill it with water.

When she gulped it down she placed the glass down against the side of the sink before turning around right into-

-Delphi, her arms wrapping around her in a tight hug that shoved her face into the crook of her neck. “I’m sorry,” the teenager whispered out, her voice trembling slightly as she shook with each breath. “I didn’t mean to say what I did, I was being mean and nasty and you didn’t deserve any of it and I know that doesn’t-”

“Slow down,” she interrupted, wrapping her own arms around the girl, “It’s okay Delphi.”

“It’s not, I know it’s not, what I said wasn’t right and you didn’t do anything at all to deserve it. You’ve always been there for me since you met Mom and I know you both-”

“Oh shush,” she placed a kiss atop the blonde portion of her hair, hands moving soothingly up and down against her back, “It’s okay. I was a teenager too, you know. Back when dinosaurs roamed, sure, but I was one once.”

That got her a small chuckle as the grip Delphi had on her tightened while they stood there. With a small sigh she extricated herself from the girls grasp, holding her at arms length before smoothing out a lock of hair that had reverted to its curly state, “I could be doing better to keep up with you, I know that. I put a lot of emphasis on my work and that can make real relationships suffer, ones that I don’t want hurt. I can promise to do better by you, if you’ll do the same with school and keeping out of trouble, okay?”

“Alright,” Delphi sniffled, “I can do that.”

“It’s settled then,” she leaned forward wrapped her in a hug again, “You’re still grounded, you know.”

“Okay, I’ll take whatever punishment you think is fitting.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something. Be happy it’s not Bella dreaming it up, she’s quite the imaginative torturer.”

“Ha,” a smile flitted into place upon her daughter’s face, “I half think yours’ll be worse though.”

“Maybe. But we can talk about that later. Now, what’ll we do about breakfast?”

“Ice cream!” A rough voice sounded up behind them, the owner’s face still pressed deeply against the couch cushion, “You’ve both been so sweet I think I deserve some.”

“Nope,” Hermione replied with a chuckle and a turn of her head, “You’re still on a diet remember? Pomfrey said no more-”

Bellatrix, suddenly exasperated beyond belief, retreated with a loud and agonizingly exaggerated sigh to the comfort of her blanket and pillows, two voices giggling after her from the kitchen as she did so.

**Author's Note:**

> Angst-Lite, I think I like this trio too much to really hurt them
> 
> Like Bellamione? https://discord.gg/pcfMU4F come on in and join the server!


End file.
